Apple is using the iPhone 18 Pro as the main camera platform for ROSÉ’s “new trick” music video, with more than 30 devices used during the production.
The project is notable not simply because a smartphone was used to shoot a professional music video, but because the small cameras were placed in locations that would be difficult to reach with conventional cinema equipment.
The video was directed by Dave Meyers, with Scott Cunningham as director of photography, as part of a campaign rolling out across 12 countries.
How the iPhone 18 Pro Was Used
According to the research brief, the entire “new trick” music video was filmed on the iPhone 18 Pro, with more than 30 units deployed during production.
The phones were mounted on a drum kit, guitar, drumsticks and ROSÉ herself. Instead of keeping the camera on a traditional support system, these setups allowed the cameras to move with the performance.
That highlights one practical advantage of smartphone filmmaking: camera placement.
A small device can be positioned in spaces where a larger cinema camera and its supporting equipment may be impractical.
What the Variable Aperture Adds
The iPhone 18 Pro is described in the research brief as having a 48MP Fusion Main camera with variable aperture.
A variable aperture gives filmmakers another physical control over how much light enters the lens. It can also influence depth of field, which affects how much of the scene appears sharply focused.
For video production, that can provide additional flexibility when lighting conditions or the desired visual look change.
However, resolution and aperture are only part of the final result. Lighting, stabilization, lens characteristics, image processing and post-production can all affect what viewers ultimately see.
Why the Mounting Approach Matters
The most useful idea demonstrated by the production is not the number of phones used, but what their size made possible.
A phone attached to a guitar or another moving element can create a perspective that would require considerably more complicated equipment with a traditional cinema camera.
Independent creators can experiment with the same principle without attempting to reproduce Apple’s production setup. A single smartphone and a properly rated mounting system can be used to explore unusual perspectives, including close instrument shots, low-angle movement and performer POV footage.
Safety is important, particularly around moving equipment. The research brief does not identify the exact mounting hardware used for the production, so consumer adhesive mounts or improvised solutions should not be assumed to be equivalent.
A Smartphone Was Only Part of the Production
The campaign should also be viewed in the context of a professional production team.
Dave Meyers described the phone as freeing the production from some of the heavier and more technical aspects of traditional camera systems. That is a director’s assessment, not an independently measured comparison between the iPhone and cinema cameras.
The finished video also involved professional production, cinematography, editing, finishing, color and sound work.
The available research does not specify the exact lighting equipment, recording codecs, frame rates or color-grading workflow. As a result, it is not possible to determine how much of the final appearance came directly from the phone and how much resulted from the wider production and post-production process.
What This Means for Creators
The project offers a useful lesson for filmmakers working with limited equipment: think about where the camera can go, not only how expensive the camera is.
You do not need 30 phones to experiment with the concept. One smartphone can be enough to test unusual angles and movement, provided the mounting method is secure and appropriate for the situation.
The iPhone 18 Pro’s variable aperture may add imaging flexibility, but the production’s most distinctive idea is arguably its use of the phone as a small, movable camera platform.
What Readers Should Know
The iPhone 18 Pro was used as the camera platform for ROSÉ’s “new trick” music video, with more than 30 devices involved in the production.
The project demonstrates how a compact camera can make unusual mounting positions practical. Its 48MP Fusion Main camera and variable aperture are important hardware features, but the research available does not provide enough technical detail to separate the phone’s contribution from lighting and professional post-production.
For independent creators, the practical lesson is straightforward: experiment with camera placement and movement, while treating Apple’s production as a professional example rather than proof that a smartphone alone can reproduce the same finished result.
